Puzzlehead

Running time: 81 mins

Man versus machine: to what lengths will man recreate himself in autonomous humanoid life forms? It?s a question worth considering during this age of advanced methods of genetic engineering, and first time writer/director James Bai contributes a haunting look at what could happen in our near future if the field grows outside of reasonable confines.

Puzzlehead begs the question, ?What counts as reasonable?? Disheartened scientist Walter creates a robot companion in his image named Puzzlehead. At first, the android is merely commanded to clean the house, but once Walter makes his desire for local grocery owner Julia apparent, Puzzlehead takes note and combats Walter?s burgeoning brutality by seeing her on his own. What ensues is a psychological conflict between the creator and his creation for one identity, rising to a climax so shocking the line between man and machine becomes eerily blurred.

Through delicate imagery and evocative sound design, director Bai creates a portrait of complex emotions and a world of distorted realities. Both an original sci-fi tale and a compelling human drama, Puzzlehead tackles our growing curiosity between what can artificially replace humans and what will remain real.

Rosalina González

Preceded by: Brother; dir. Galvin Scott Davis; 12min.; A psychological thriller that introduces us to 3 characters and their bleak pasts and future.

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